The AAWR is undergoing a revitalization of the organization, including updating the content and appearance of the website as well as relaunching a robust social media campaign. The newly formed Communications Committee is co-chaired by Dr. Kristin Porter and Dr. Amy Patel. This Committee is comprised of 4 subcommittees: Newsletter, Meeting, Social Media, and Website, with each subcommittee having designated co-chairs and members.

It is exciting to see so many members of AAWR, including young women radiologists, trainees, and even medical students, working hard and with great enthusiasm to make significant contributions and improvements to our organization.

Join us on Social Media

Follow us on Twitter (@AAWR) and Facebook (American Association for Women Radiologists) to keep up-to-date and apprised of future events and to access articles and information of interest and use to Women in Radiology. The same will be occurring on the website as we also hope to showcase Women in Radiology at all levels of training soon. Stay Tuned!

As part of our effort to expand our social media presence and use Twitter as a vehicle for communication and dialog, the "#RadWomen: Chatting about Women in Radiology and the Challenges They Face" tweet chat took place on March 8, 2017, in observance of International Women’s Day (#BeBoldForChange). Held in collaboration with The Society of Breast Imaging (SBI) and The American Association for Women Radiologists (AAWR), the tweet chat was designed to celebrate the contributions of women in radiology, highlight the disparities and challenges in the field, offer solutions for addressing those challenges and discuss ideas to bring more women into the field.

Four main questions were posed by Dr. Elizabeth Morris, outgoing president of SBI with guest speakers Dr. Geraldine McGinty, Dr. Etta Pisano, Dr. Shadi Shakeri, Dr. Vivian Lee, and Dr. Amy Patel providing answers. A robust, one-hour discussion took place, which was a great success.

I would especially like to thank Dr. Patel for participating and representing the AAWR so well in this discussion. Thank you, Amy, for giving more visibility to AAWR.

Be sure to check out Dr. Patel’s article in this newsletter on the twitter chat.

Speed Mentoring is Back!

Finally, the previously successful AAWR Speed Mentoring Sessions at various meetings such as ACR and RSNA will be a part of the main programming for ACR 2017 and be an all-inclusive event of both females and males in collaboration with ACR Young Physician and Early Career Section and The Radiology Leadership Institute. Mark your calendars for this Speed Mentoring event, to be held at ACR 2017 on Tuesday, May 23rd at 12 PM EST. For more information: https://ww2.aievolutio.com/acr1701/index.cfm?do=ev.viewEv&ev=1407

Events

When planning your ACR 2017 meeting attendance, be sure to add the following AAWR events to your calendar. I hope to see you there!

I am thrilled about the publication of this issue of the Focus newsletter, as it contains contributions from several of the new members of the AAWR Communications Committee. We are trying to increase the reach of AAWR and involve more members, so these contributions are particularly exciting, as they highlight the many ways that members are becoming more involved.

Highlights from the current newsletter include: a report on the recent #RadWomen Tweet Chat that took place on March 8, 2017 by Dr. Amy Patel; a synopsis of upcoming AAWR events taking place at the ACR Crossroads meeting beginning May 21, 2017 by Dr. Michelle Dorsey; and, a personal account of the value of AAWR from a soon-to-be radiology resident by Dr. Yasha Parikh. The Committee has also chosen to highlight AAWR Vice President, Elizabeth Kagan Arleo’s recent article in JACR regarding the paucity of lactation facilities in US Radiology practices.

The energy of our more junior in training and practice members is palpable. I truly have enjoyed watching them contribute this quarter and look forward to working with them to disseminate information to our members.

Many thanks to those who have contributed and please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to participate as well.

Respectfully,

Kristin Kelly Porter, MD, PhD

AAWR Secretary

#RadWomen: Chatting about Women in Radiology and the Challenges They Face

By Amy K. Patel, MD

The #RadWomen Tweet Chat took place on March 8, 2017, in observance of International Women’s Day (#BeBoldForChange). The tweet chat was in collaboration with The Society of Breast Imaging (SBI) and the American Association for Women Radiologists (AAWR). The intention of the Tweet Chat was to promote a “better, more equal working world” as well as highlight women’s “contributions to Radiology and the challenges they’ve faced.” Four main questions were asked by Dr. Elizabeth Morris, outgoing president of SBI, over a one hour session with guest speakers Dr. Geraldine McGinty, Dr. Etta Pisano, Dr. Shadi Shakeri, Dr. Vivian Lee, and Dr. Amy Patel providing answers as well as other women and men in Radiology at all levels of training and women administrative leaders.

The first questions posed were “What, or who, has inspired you to pursue a career in Radiology?” and “Did you have a mentor?” Answers included having a female mentor inspire them, noting that this type of mentorship can be very powerful initially when seeking guidance and mapping your path. It was also noted that strong male mentors were incredibly important to some in choosing Radiology. Others who responded did not have a mentor and noted “intellectual stimulation, the “rapid evolution of Radiology,” and the “possibility of telemedicine” drove them to pursue the specialty.

The next question discussed was “What are some of the challenges or barriers that you have faced to advance in Radiology and how have you overcome them?” It was shared that being in a male-dominated field can be challenging in and of itself and that in Radiology’s early stages, women were not welcomed in the specialty and that there were very few women in leadership positions. Challenges faced also included being assumed the secretary of the department or the male residents’ assistant. “Bias and microaggression” were also noted as being challenges some female Radiologists face daily. One Radiologist pointed out there used to be no maternity leave policies when women got pregnant which was very challenging. Another experienced sexism from nurses, technologists, and physicians. However, it was noted that “visibility” and connecting with other female Radiologists are imperative to “lift each other up” and overcome the challenges the specialty brings.

The next questions asked were “What progress have you seen in Radiology to include more women? What areas can be improved? Responses ranged from seeing great progress being made, particularly noted by the younger female Radiologists. However, others, including older female Radiologists, felt that the progress has been very slow. One noted AAMC statistics of women comprising only 38% of medical faculty, only 21% full time professors, and only 16% deans. However, it was noted that the establishment of the American College or Radiology Commission for Women and Diversity has been a positive achievement which promotes an environment of inclusivity for all and ensuring equity for women and underrepresented minorities. Other responses included the initiatives being implemented by the AAWR. In regards to improvement, a key area for improvement was recruitment of women into Radiology, as the percentage has remained around 25% for over a decade. However, what all levels of training could agree on was it is important to support women in medicine beginning from the medical school level.

The last questions asked were “How can we empower more women to be #BeBoldForChange, enter Radiology, and hold leadership positions?” Responses ranged from mentorship and “sponsorship inside organizations and nationally” as well as establishing women in Radiology societies at all institutions. Also noted was seeing women in roles of leadership can be an inspirational tool to incite the same passion and enthusiasm to seek positions of leadership. Finally, advocating for yourself was also considered critical.

To preview the #RadWomen Tweet Chat in its entirety: https://storify.com/ACRPress/radwomen

Stay tuned as we are hoping to have similar tweet chats in the future as this is a transformative way to interact with female Radiologists and leaders across the country.

Although there is much progress to be made, the future of women in Radiology is bright!

The Value of AAWR

Yasha Parikh

For my entire life, I have been surrounded by strong, working women. I was raised by a working, physician mother who always emphasized the importance of a career in my life, and this influenced me to become a physician myself and even potentially pursue a field relating to women’s health. Even further, I knew that I wanted to incorporate advocacy for women in the workplace into my work, so when my mentor told me about the AAWR, I knew I wanted to join.

During RSNA, I was lucky enough to attend the Speed Mentoring session, and listening to the successful women surrounding me was inspiring, and I felt their advice was useful for me even as someone just entering residency. It gave me deeper insight into what challenges I may face entering my radiology career and how to tackle them. This, however, was just one small part of the impact the AAWR has had in my life so far.

The biggest impact of the AAWR in my few short months as a member came during my residency interviews. Because I had come away from the Speed Mentoring session with such a positive experience, it was something that naturally came up during my interviews. From where I see myself in ten years to the type of career I want to have, women’s advocacy and contributing to radiological societies were central to my answers. Program Directors and other Interviewers were equally as excited about my experience as I was, and this sparked great conversations. It showed initiative on my behalf to join a group that I am passionate about, and I believe programs noticed this.

Although I can never know why I matched successfully and what contributed both positively and negatively in my application, I can say that as an applicant, I felt that my experiences with the AAWR thus far enhanced my interview experience. With that, I will say thank you so much to my mentors for introducing me to the AAWR and I hope we can continue adding value for many people at all different stages of their respective radiology careers.

AAWR at the Crossroads of Radiology
Michelle Dorsey, MD

The ACR 2017 annual meeting, Power Up at The Crossroads of Radiology, will be offering many educational and networking opportunities for women radiologists in all stages of their careers. The meeting is focused on the following pathways: Advocacy, Economics & Health Policy; Clinical Education; Clinical Research; Governance; Resident & Fellow Section; Leadership; Quality and Safety; Informatics & Innovations; Young & Early Career Physician Section; and Medical Students.

The AAWR is sponsoring a number of informational events at the meeting. On Sunday, May 21st, the Women’s Caucus will be taking place from 10:00 am – 11:30 am at Marriott Wardman Park: Harding. Dr Geraldine McGinty, MD, FACR, MBA will be featured during a Muffins and Coffee event on Monday, May 22nd from 7:00 am – 8:00 am at Marriott Wardman Park: Washington 2. The topic will be “Choosing Wisely: Mentors, Sponsors, and Your Kitchen Cabinet," and advanced registration is required.

The AAWR session, “Tips They Didn’t Teach You in Residency,” featuring Susan J. Ackerman, MD, Julia R. Fielding, MD, and Maria D. Kelly, MD, FACR will also be taking place on Monday from 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm. Finally, on Tuesday May 23rd from 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm a Speed Mentoring session is planned. Using the successful model employed by the AAWR, the collective members of the ACR Young and Early Career Physician Section (YPS) and the AAWR organized a larger scale mentoring session targeted toward all members of the ACR YPS, ACR Resident and Fellow Section and AAWR members-in-training (MIT), with the support of the Radiology Leadership Institute (RLI). Both men and women are invited to attend.

The AAWR Communications Committee will have members in attendance at all these events in order to report back on activities in the next issue of the Newsletter. In the meantime, we hope to see you at one of these interesting events!

Tuesday, May 23, 2017
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm: Speed Mentoring
Using the successful model employed by the (AAWR), the collective members of the ACR Young Physicians Section (YPS) and the AAWR organized a larger scale mentoring session targeted toward all members of the ACR YPS, ACR and AAWR members-in-training (MIT) with the support of the Radiology Leadership Institute (RLI).Learn More

Abstract
Purpose: Despite federal and state laws mandating lactation facilities for eligible employers, no reliable data exist regarding the
availability of lactation facilities in the radiology workforce. To fill this void, the ACR Commission on Human Resources added new
questions to its annual electronic survey to better understand this aspect of the workforce situation for radiologists.

Methods: As done annually, the Practice of Radiology Environment Database was utilized to identify leaders of radiology practices, who were asked to complete an electronic survey developed by the ACR Commission on Human Resources. Among other questions, leaders were asked, “Does your radiology or radiation oncology practice have a dedicated lactation facility?”Results: Overall, 579 of 1,815 (32%) practice group leaders responded to the survey. Of 579, 394 responded to lactation question. Of 394, 51 (13%) reported affirmatively that they do have dedicated lactation facilities, and 343 of 394 (87%) responded that they do not have dedicated lactation facilities.Conclusion: The vast majority of radiology and radiation oncology practices in the United States do not have dedicated lactation facilities; given the numerous benefits to breastfeeding mothers and babies, this impacts not only women but also men given that they too would like to have healthy colleagues with minimal absenteeism.